Wladislav Zelenski 1837-1921

[giles.enders]

Wladislav Zelenski  Born  6 July 1837 Grodkowice, Nr Krakow   Died  22 January 1921 Krakow

Studied in Krakow with Jan Germasz and Mirecki and from 1859 in Prague with Alexander Dreyshock and Josef Krejci.  Between 1866-1870 studied in Paris with Napoleon Reber and Bertold Damecke.  In 1872 he became a professor at the Warsaw Conservatory and from 1881 The Director of the Krakow Conservatory. He subsequently became the most significant Polish opera composer after Moniuszko.


Orchestral

Spring Symphony  1871- lost
Symphony 1920- lost
Overture  1857
Overture 'In The Tatra Mountains'  Op.27  1881
Overture 'Echoes of the Woods' Op.41
Two fragments to drama 'Wit Stwosz', Introduction and march  1857
Piano Concerto in E flat  Op.60  1903
Romance for cello and orchestra  Op.40  1885
Two Polish dances, polonaise, mazurka  Op.37
Suite of Dances, polonaise, cracovienne, mazurka  Op.47
Trauerklange, English andante  Op.36  1883
Grand polonaise for orchestra  Op.45

Chamber

Piano Quartet in C minor  Op.61   pub by Litolff
Piano Trio in Eflat major Op.22  1875   pub. by Kahnt
Piano Trio  Op.32
Violin Sonata in F Op.30  1879  pub. by Hofmeister
Violin Sonata Op.67
String Sextet
Variations for String Quartet in G minor Op.21  1883   pub. by Kistner
String Quartet in G minor  Op.21 
String Quartet in F Op.28  1883   pub. by Kistner
String Quartet in A Op.42  1891   pub. by Hainauer
String Quartet - lost
String Quartet - lost
String trio
Berceuse for cello and piano  1882

Piano

Sonata Op.3
Sonata Op.5  1859
Sonata Op.20
Two Mazurkas Op.31
Grand Scherzo de concert  Op.35  1883
Ceremonial March  Op.44
Reverie Op.48
Theme and variations Op.62

Organ

Prelude  Op.38

Song

'Des Madchens Wurnsch'
'Na Aniol Pariski'
'Slowiczku moj'
'Zaczarowana Krolewna'

There are over 100 songs

Voice

Mass for female chorus
Latin Mass for male choir and orchestra
Veni Creator for male chorus
Te Deum for chorus

Eight secular cantatas -
1. For J.I.Kraszewski  1879
2. For the Victory ofJan Sobieski at Vienna for male chorus and orchestra 1883
3. For the unvailing of the monument to J.Szujski  1887
4. For the Tercentenery of St. Anne's school, Cracow  1888
5. For the Exhibition at Lvov  1894
6. Gloria Tibi Alma Mata' for the 5ooth anniversary of Jagiellonian University, Cracow  1900
7. For the opening ceremony of the Warsaw Philharmonia 1901
8. 'Zyj piesni' (Long live the song) 1901

Opera

'Janek' Op.2
'Goplana' Op.3 1891
'Konrad Wallenrod' Op.4  1885
'Strabasn' (Old Fable)

Musical Play - 'Wit Stwosz'


 

[eschiss1]

Someone else for whom art, though not music specifically, ran in the family (his son Tadeusz "Boy-"Zelenski was a noted author and translator before being murdered by the Nazis in 1941, I see...)

[Mark Thomas]

Giles, what is the authority for the two symphonies being lost, please?

[giles.enders]

In reply to Mark - New Grove, second edition, vol.27

[eschiss1]

I thought Op.32 was a berceuse for violin or cello and piano, not a piano trio. Hrm.

Could Strabasn be a misspelling for something else?... (maybe for "Stara baśń"?) (Hrm... _ah_. No, I don't speak Polish, just noticed " Stara baśń : opera w 4ech aktach" by Władysław Żeleński, published ca.1910. I think it very likely, at that...) (Ah ok, we already have this in the IMSLP worklist - "The old fairy tale (''Stara baśń''), an opera in four acts (1905-1906, premiered 1907 in Lwów)".)

[markniew]

Yes, Strabasn is for sure misspelling for "Stara baśń" - opera based on the novel by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski

[Gareth Vaughan]

The Polish music publisher PWM lists the following orchestral item:
Funeral Tones, Andante from Symphony No. 1, (1871), ca ''7'30''
scoring: 2022-4230-batt (1esec)-archi
Parts are available for hire. But no other symphonies are listed. This would suggest that the composer withdrew (and perhaps destroyed) the rest of Symphony No. 1, but allowed the Andante to be published. One can only speculate on the fate of No. 2.

Incidentally, I'd love to hear this Andante.

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, me too. A composer to respect, I think.

p.s. Thanks for the "lost" info, Giles.